5/152. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 1262 — Eclipse and Humility Before Allah
What was narrated concerning the eclipse Prayer
Eclipse Hadith: Humility Before Allah
Sunan Ibn Majah : 1262
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 1262
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ، وَجَمِيلُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ، قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ الْحَذَّاءُ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ انْكَسَفَتِ الشَّمْسُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَخَرَجَ فَزِعًا يَجُرُّ ثَوْبَهُ حَتَّى أَتَى الْمَسْجِدَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يُصَلِّي حَتَّى انْجَلَتْ ثُمَّ قَالَ " إِنَّ أُنَاسًا يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ لاَ يَنْكَسِفَانِ إِلاَّ لِمَوْتِ عَظِيمٍ مِنَ الْعُظَمَاءِ وَلَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ إِنَّ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ لاَ يَنْكَسِفَانِ لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلاَ لِحَيَاتِهِ فَإِذَا تَجَلَّى اللَّهُ لِشَىْءٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ خَشَعَ لَهُ " .
An-Nu'man bin Bashir Narrated from:
The sun was eclipsed at the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he came out alarmed, dragging his lower garment, until he reached the mosque. He continued to perform prayer until the eclipse was over, then he said: ‘Some people claim that the sun and moon only become eclipsed because of the death of a great leader. That is not so. The sun and the moon do not become eclipsed for the death or birth of anyone. When Allah manifests Himself to anything in His creation, it humbles itself before Him.’”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 1262In-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 460English translation : Vol. 1, Book 5, Hadith 1262
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 1262
This Hadith shows how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم reacted when the sun was eclipsed. He went out alarmed to the mosque and kept praying until the eclipse ended. Then he corrected a common claim: the sun and moon do not become eclipsed because of the death of a great person, nor because of anyone's life. The Hadith points the heart back to Allah. It says that when Allah manifests Himself to anything in His creation, it becomes humble before Him. So the core lesson of this eclipse hadith is humility, prayer, and leaving false beliefs about natural signs.
What we learn from this hadith
- The eclipse is not linked to the death or birth of any person.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم responded to the eclipse with prayer.
- Creation humbles itself before Allah.
- False claims about natural signs should be corrected with clear teaching.
